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Many people fail to achieve their potential because they lack effective communication skills. These skills are of paramount importance for the individual in a company and the company's overall success.

A great communicator…

• is positive
• listens to what is being said
• tells stories well
• makes good eye contact
• makes sure his verbal and nonverbal messages say the same thing
• asks questions to others and cares about their answers
• tries to include everyone in the group
• doesn't swear or tells off-colour jokes
• thinks about what he/she wants to say
• doesn't interrupt or starts doing something else while another person is still speaking to him
• asks for other person's opinion rather than only giving his own
• repeats back what he heard in order to create clarity
• gets the message across verbally, mentally, and metaphorically

Dr. Ron J. Anderson (President & CEO of Parkland Memorial Hospital) once said "Show me a strong leader and I'll show you an effective communicator". If we think of certain leaders we must fully agree with this statement. Let me give you two examples of effective communicators:

• Barack Obama
• Martin Luther King

BARACK OBAMA

Barack Obama has the ability to connect with the audience and sense the prevailing mood. He delivers his speeches with confidence and self-belief. During his political debates it was pointed out by various political journalists the fact that Barack Obama seems to be very comfortable with the audience. He took each question from the audience and gave a very personable response. A good communicator needs to foremost make the listeners believe in his vision. In this case, Barack Obama was successful in making the audience (the whole of America) believe in his message of change. It is not only enough to know your facts but it is paramount that you deliver them while holding the audience attention.

Video 1: Learning from Obama's effective communication skills

Video 2: One of Obama's best speeches

Video 3: Closing Argument - Barack Obama delivers his best speech

MARTIN LUTHER KING

He gave what is called the greatest speech of the 20th century in 1963 in Washington DC before a huge crowd. What were his secrets? He made it conversational. When sensing that he was not reaching his audience as he wanted, he began speaking spontaneously. He put down the prepared speech, and spoke from the heart. The result was electric.

He made effective use of repetition.

We all know his famous sentence "I have a dream….", this because he repeated it so often and people could relate to what he said.

I have a dream …. that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning its creed. I have a dream .. that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood. I have a dream … that one day even the State of Mississippi, …., will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice. I have a dream…. that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the colour of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream today.

He used familiar language known to every American.

He quoted Biblical phrases and national songs well-known to his listeners. Then he elaborated upon those references and made them relevant to his theme of working toward racial equality and harmony.

He let his audience know exactly where he stood.

King left his audience in no doubt how he felt about his topic.

Video 4: Martin Luther King "I have a dream"

Remember: A good communicator by and large is a good listener because in order to understand and solve the problems of people you have to listen to the spoken and unspoken things.

Image Credits: stijnbokhove, transplanted mountaineer, medium as muse